Container cover and method of forming and applying same



Oct. 27, 1931.

F. O NEILL, JR

CONTAINER COVER AND METHOD OF FORMINGAND APPLYING SAME Filed Oct 19. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 A A A anowtoz 97mm! 077M) 35 mum;

Oct. 27, 1931. F. 0"N JR 1,828,906

CONTAINER COVER AND METHOD OF FORMING AND APPLYING SAME Filed Oct. 19, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 27, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT oFF1c11-:

' FRANK O'NEILL, .13., or new you, N. Y, Assmnon. 'ro EMPIRE Hoonsm coaroaa- TION, or NEW YORK; 1v. Y., a CORPORATION or nmwmm CONTAINER COVERAN D METHOD OF FORMING AND APPLYING Application filed October 19, 1929. Serial No. 400,820.

This invention relates to an improvement in container covers and an improved method of joining complemental portions thereof in applying said covers to a container.

The cover to which this invention appertains is of the type used extensively in connection with milk bottles and is known commercially as a hood cap. The primary purpose of covers of this type is not to seal the container against leakage (this usually being effected by a separate disk) but rather to act as a shield, first, to exclude dirt, etc. from the mouth of the container and, second, to prevent tamperin with the sealing disk and thereby to preolu e unauthorized removal of the contents of the container or any part thereof, without detection.

In view of the great number of caps of this nature used on milk bottles, this invention 2'9 will, for convenience, be described in connection with that specific use but it is to be understood that the invention is in no wise limited to that use but is also capable of various other adaptation.

Many forms of bottle caps heretofore have been provided and many methods of securing the caps to the bottles have beensuggested. These prior devices have not been entirely satisfactory due to the fact'that many of them have been unduly costly both in the cap and inthe time and machinery required to apply it to a bottle. Others have not beenwholly tamper-proof. Still others have not afforded the required degree of sanitation. i

This invention has for an object to provide an improved container cover which will overcome all of the objections heretofore raised I against prior devices of this nature; which may be manufactured and applied to the con tainer ata minimum cost; which, when applied to the container, will be wholly tamperproof; which will exclude all dirt and moisture from the mouth of the container; which will compensate for variations-inthe size of the container mouth and neck; which will have a distinctive and attractive appearance; which readily may be removed without i the aid of: any instrument, and which, when once removed may not again be secured to the same or asimilar container.

Another object of the invention is to rovide a container cover which may be fed in fiat blank form, into cover appl ing position to a capping machine and which may be applied to and permanently secured upon the container without the application of heat and wholly by means carried by, or forming a part of, the cover blank.

Still another'object of the invention is to render available a new and inexpensive method of permanently joining together complemental portions of a container cover whereby the cover may notbe removed from the container without destruction of the cover.

Drawings depicting the improved container cover and the method of joining complemental portions thereof have been annexed as a part of this disclosure'and in said drawings Figure 1 is a plan view-of the cover blank in its initial and incompleted form, also showing, in dotted lines, portions of attached blanks, illustrating the ribbon form in which the blanks may be made and delivered to a capping machine. Fig. 2 is a viewsimilafito Fig. 1 but showing the cap blank in completed form and with certain informative data which is applied thereto as the blank is fed to a capping machine. Fig. 3 is an edge view of one of the cap blanks showing an initial operation on the blank. Fig. 4 is a plan view of a cap blank in an intermediate stage in its application to a container. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the cap in its completed form. Fig. 6 is a side view, partly in section,

of the completed cap showing it secured upon a bottle. Figs. 7, 8 and 9 are enlarged detail horizontal sectional views illustrating my improved method of securing together complemental portions of the cap blank. Fig. 10 is a still further enlarged detail vertical sectional view through the interlocked sections of the cap blank. Fig.11 is a detail view illustrating the manner in which certain sealing strips, later to be referred to, are attached to the cap blank.

v Referring more specifically to the draw-.

ings the improved cap blank is shown as comprising a central body portion 1 adapted to overlie the mouthof a bottle or other container, radial, substantially T-shaped fingers 2, 3, 4 and 5 and intervening radial tabs 6, 7, 8 and 9. In applying the cap to a bottle the central .body portion 1 is placed over the mouth of a bottle and in contact therewith. The tabs 6, 7, 8 and 9 are then bent downwardly over the bottle lip. Next the fingers 2, 3, 4 and 5 arebent downwardly over the bottle lip overlying the tabs 6, 7, 8 and 9. The adjacent lateral ends of the fingers 23, 34, 4-5, and 52 are then secured together in a manner hereinafter to be described, thereby causing the fin ers to constitute a constricted band gripplng the bottle neck below the lip thereof, as shown in Fig. 6, to preclude removal of the cap without destruction thereof.

.To facilitate feeding the cap blank into a position overlying the bottle mouth, each blank is preferably formed with one or more apertures a which are successively entered by a suitable projection on the feeding mechanism of the bottle capping machine, not shown. This insures positive feeding of the cap-blank ribbon and the accurate positioning of each blank relative to the bottle upon which it is to be secured.

The cap blank is preferably made of paper and after certain printed matter, later to be referred to, has been applied thereto the blank is treated with a waterproof coating. The central body portion of the blank and selected ones or all of the tabs and fingers will, in use, usually be provided with suitable advertising matter.

This invention provides a new method of, and means for, securing-together complemental portions of the cap blank to cause the.

completed and applied cap tightly to be secured upon the bottle and to preclude removal of the cap without destruction thereof. To this end, the fingers 2, 3, 4 and 5 are provided, at their outer ends, with lateral extensions the combined length of which is greater than the circumference of the .bottle neck. The adjacent ends of these extensions are adapted to be interlocked to form a continuous band about the bottle neck beneath the lip thereof. Preferably, but not necessarily, the lateral'extensions of two of said fingers will be of soft metal or similar material which will retain any given shape. This may be accomplished by securing to the radial fingers 2 and 4 soft metal strips 8. These strips are preferably attached to the fingers by tangs b punched from said strips and projected through the fin ers and turned back on the underside .thereo as shown in Fig. 11. The strips 8 are longer than the width of the head. of the fingers2 and 4 and project beyond the sides of the heads as shown in Figs. 2 and 11.

v The cap blanks preferably are fed into a teaspoe suitable automatic capping machine in ribbon form as shown in Fig. 2, the finger 5 of each blank being formed integral with the finger 3 of a'succeeding blank. Upon arrival at capping position each blank is severed from the ribbon and attached to a bottle as later will be described. It is to be understood however that the employment of an automatic capping machine is not essential and that the caps may also be applied by manually actuated means or otherwise.

To meet certain legal requirements, when the caps are used on milk bottles the cap blanks are provided with data relative to place, day and time at which pasteurization and bottling of the milk was effected. This may be done by initially' printing on the cap blank, before it is waterproofed, partial informative data such as the words Bottled at, Pasteurized between, Day and a portion of or the complete name of each day of the week. Thus it will be seen that a blank so printed is adaptable for use at any bottling plant, on any day of the week and atany hour of the day. The informative data is preferably completed upon or just prior to, the application of the cap blank to the bet tle. This conveniently may be done, when the blank is attached to a bottle by an automatic capping machine by providing the machine with printing, perforating or stamp ing dies adapted to apply to the cap, adjacent the words Bottled at, the address of the bottling plant and adjacent the words Pasteurized between the hours between which pasteurization was-effected. Likewise a suitable die may be employed to cancel or otherwise mark a predetermined one of the names of the days of the week, thereby to indicate the day on which pasteurization and bottling were eifected.

The im roved method of securing together the comp emental portions of the cap blank to form the completed cap and to secure it upon a bottle will now be described.

The initial step consists in folding back the ends 8 of the strips 8, as shown in Fig. 3 and giving the outer extremities thereof an initial curl or roll 1'. Likewise the lateral ends of the fingers 3 and 5 are slightly'curled outward as indicated at t, Figs. 3 and 4. As previously stated, in applying the cap blank to the bottle the central body portion 1 is placed over and in contact with the bottle mouth. The tabs 6, 7, 8 and 9 are then folded downwardly over the bottle lip followed by the fingers 2, 3, 4 and -5 which overlap the tabs. This brings the parts into the positions shown in Fig. 4. Next the depending ends of the fingers and tabs are forced inwardly around the bottle neck under the bottle lip, thereby bringing the outer lateral'extremities of the paper vfin ers 3 and 5 into engagement with the turne back portions 8' of the strips 8 secured to the fingers 2 and 4, and placin the curls t of the 3'and 5 adjacent t e rolls r of the fingers 2 and 4, substantially as shown in Fig. 7 7 The turned-back portions 8. of the strips 8 are then rolled outwardly beginnin with the rolls 7', thereby engaging and r0 ling in the lateralends of the fingers 3 and 5; This rolling continues until themetal strips and the paper fingers are rolled together as shown at a: in Fig. 8. Inter-rolling of the strips and fingers causes those elements to be drawn together endwise thereby constrictin the lower portion of the cap about the %0ttl9 neck and causing it to underlie the bottle lip l as shown in Fig. 6. The final step in attaching the cap to the bottle consists in compressin and flattening the rolls a: as shown in Fig. 9 to cause the metal strip even more. tightly to grip the paper finger rolled thereinto, thereby to preclude all possibility of the paper being pu led out of engagement with the metal strip. The rolls a: are pref- 30 of standard dimensions and the fingers are erably compressed and flattened only at their upperand lower portions, as shown at w and w in Figs. 6 and 10, this eifecting greater .binding action than if the entire roll were compressed.

The strips 8 and the lateral extensions of the fingers 3 and 5 are made of such length that when the .cap is placed upon a bottle forced inwardl under the bottle lip the initial I'Oll'j' o the strip 8 and the 'initial curl t of the fingers will assume substantially the position shown at the right side of Fig. 7. Should the bottle neck be slightly 7 undersize the curl t will'be positionedv more closely to the roll 1'. Conversely should the bottleneck be slightly oversize the curl t will be spaced further from the roll r, as shown at the left of said figure. In either event the portion a of the strip will, during .its rolling action, at one point or another.

engage the lateral extension of the fingers 3 and 5 and cause them to be rolled in with the metal.

Any suitable means may be utilized for rolling together the metal strips and the aper fingers and for flattening the rolls. laies which have been found particularly well adapted for this purpose are partially illus- .tratedin Figs. 7, 8 and 9but inasmuch as those dies form no part of the present invention further illustration and description thereof is deemed unnecessary. v

To facilitate removal of the cap from a bottle, one of the tabs, preferablythe one provided with the names of the days of the week, is made longer radially than the radial fingers and therefore will project below the constricted band about the bottle neck when the cap' is secured upon the bottle. This affords a finger-piece which readil may be gras ed between the thumb and nger and lifte upwardly thereby to rupture theadjacent paper finger and break its-union with the metal stri thus permittingithe cap to be removed om the bottle. Obviously after this union has once been broken the'ca-p may not again be secured upon a bottle and in the event of unauthorized removal of the cap the broken seal will remain as evidence of such tampering. Having claim 1. A container cover blank comprising a central body portion adapted to overlie the mouth of a container; a plurality of fingers projecting from said central portion and adapted to be folded down aboutthe neck of the container into overlapping relation thus revealed the invention, I

with each other, alternate ones of said fingers I being provided with lateral extensions of .a material adapted to retain a given shape, the

adjacent and overlapping portions of said.

fingers being adapted to-be rolled tdgether to form a permanent union therebetween and to form a constricted band about the neck of the container to maintain the cover on the container;

2. A container cover blank comprising a central body portion adapted to overlie the mouth of a container, a plurality of fingers projecting from said central portion andadapted to be folded down about the neck of the container; a strip of bendable mate rial securedto the outer portion of alternate ones of said fingers, said stri s being of permanentiunion between the fingers of the cover blank. r

3. A container cover blank comprising a central body portion adapted to overlie the mouth of acontainer; a plurality of fingers projecting substantially radially from said central body portion alternate ones of'said fingers having metallic projections extending laterally therefrom, said metallic projections being complemental to lateral extensions on the intermediate fingers and adapted to be rolled together therewith spirally to form a permanent union therebetween when said cover is-placed upon a container. 4. In combination with a bottle, a cover secured thereon, said cover comprisin a central body portion overlying the mout of the bottle, 'a plurality of fingers having lateral extensions and a plurality of tabs integral overlapping said tabs; means carried by alternate ones of said fingers for securing together the adjacent lateral extensions of each two adjacent fingers, one of said tabs being longer radially than said fingers and projecting therebelow when the cover is secured upon the bottle thus affording a finger piece adapted upon upward movement to rupture one of said fingers thereby to permit removal of the cover from the bottle.

5. The method of applying a cover to a containerwhich comprises placing a cover blank over the mouth of a container; foldin portions of said blank down around the nec of thecontainer; placing portions of said blank into overlapping contact; rolling said overlapped portions together spirally; and compressing a portion of the roll, to form a permanent union between said portions.

6. The method of applying a cover to a container which comprises placing a cover blank over the mouth of a container; folding portions of said blank downwardly over the lip of the-container; deflecting said portions inwardlybeneath said lip and causing said portions to engage the reduced neck of the container beneath said lip; causing each portion to overlap another of said portions; and rolling said overlapped portions together spirally to effect a permanent union between said portions. I 7. The method of applying a cover to a container which comprises placing a cover blank over the mouth of a container; defiect ing peripheral portions of said blank down-- wardly and inwardly into contact with a reduced portion of said container below the mouth thereof; rolling together spirally adjacent peripheral portions of said blank to form a permanent union therebetween and simultaneously therewith constricting the periphery of said blank into gri ping contact with the reduced portion 0 said container. 8. The method of forming container cover blanks and applying same to a container which comprises stamping out of paper stock a blank of predetermined form havin' a central body portion and a plurality o radial fingers; securing to alternate ones of'said I fingers bendable metallic fasteners; placing said blank over the mouth of a container; de-

- fleeting all of said fingers downwardly and inwardly into contact with a reduced portion of said 'container'below the mouth thereof; winding each of said metallic fasteners into a spiral and .causing them each to engage a portion of an adjacent finger and to wind a portion thereof into said spiral to effect a permanent union between adjacent fingers, thereby producing at the lower portion of the completed cap an unbroken hand gripping sai reduced portion of the container.

9. The method of oining together portions rsaaoqe which consists in securing to said blank stripsof bendable metal; folding back the end portions of said strips and initially partiall curling the extremities of said turned bac portions; initially partially curling, in the same direction, the extremities of portidns of said paper blank placing a portion of said paper blank in contact with a turned back portion of said metal strip; completing the curling of the turned back portion of said metal strip and simultaneously winding these into said portions of said paper blanks thereby producing a spirall wound roll having alternate layers of metal and paper, and finally compressing a portion of said roll to cause said metal more securely to grip said paper.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

FRANK ONEILL, JR.

of a container cover blank of paper stock 

